Amazigh International Film Festival: Ali Benjelloun’s “Goundafa” Wins Grand Prize

Agadir – The curtain fell Monday evening in Agadir on the 17th edition of the Issni N’Ourgh International Amazigh Film Festival (FINIFA), which celebrated its 20th anniversary this year.

The big winner of the evening was Ali Benjelloun’s film “Goundafa – The Cursed Song,” which won the Issni N’Ourgh Grand Prize (Amazigh competition), as well as the awards for Best Actress, which went to Fatima Afif, and Best Actor, awarded jointly to Farouk Aznabet and Abdellatif Atif.

In the international competition, the film “Aisha Can’t Fly Away” by Egyptian director Morad Mostafa won the award for Best Director, while “Ha Lyngkha Bneng – The Elysian Field” by Indian director Pradip Kurbah took home the award for Best Screenplay and a collective award for Best Actor.

The National Amazigh Culture Prize, organized in partnership with the Royal Institute of Amazigh Culture (IRCAM), will be announced on October 14 during the commemoration of the royal speech of Ajdir at IRCAM headquarters in Rabat.

The closing ceremony of FINIFA was marked by a tribute to Hélène E. Hagan, anthropologist and founder of the Los Angeles Amazigh Film Festival.

Ten films addressing themes of memory, identity, and social and cultural transformations were in competition for the official Amazigh film award, while the international competition featured ten works representing countries including France, the United States, India, Argentina, Egypt, and Italy.

The National Amazigh Culture Prize competition (film category) included six films highlighting the dynamism of national film production and its contribution to promoting Amazigh culture. Finally, five films were screened as part of special out-of-competition screenings, offering audiences the opportunity to discover diverse artistic worlds and approaches.

The FINIFA program also included meetings between film professionals and the public, as well as tributes to several individuals who have contributed to enriching the Amazigh cultural and artistic scene, in recognition of their careers, commitment, and contributions to preserving and promoting Amazigh cultural identity.

This 17th edition, organized in partnership with the Souss-Massa Regional Council, the Municipality of Agadir and IRCAM, featured 30 films from 18 countries and territories, including 14 Moroccan films.